Friday, April 10, 2015

Financial Literacy: Do high school classes make a difference?

April is National Financial Literacy Month: Do high school classes make a difference?

In 2011 President Obama proclaimed April as National Financial Literacy Month.  In his proclamation he stated, “Our Nation's prosperity will ultimately depend on our willingness as individuals to empower ourselves and our families with financial knowledge. “

Fast forward to 2015, one thing that we can all seem to agree on as parents and educators is that an understanding of financial literacy is important to our children.  What we can’t seem to work out, according to Hank Coleman of Daily Finance, is who will teach the courses; how will school districts fund the new courses; and how will these courses fit into already overly crowded curriculums?

In addition to these logistics problems, Professor Julie Heath, director of the Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati, reports that teachers feel unqualified to teach financial literacy.  “Eighty-two percent say they are not prepared to teach these concepts," she says. 

One of the reasons for this uneasiness may be that some school districts rely on math, science, home economics and technology teachers (among others) to incorporate financial literacy lessons into their curriculum instead of offering a separate personal finance course. 

The good news is that financial literacy classes in high school do make a difference.  According to an article in USA Today (by Hadley Malcolm), a study of 65,000 college students showed that – “first-year college students required to take a financial literacy course in high school are significantly more likely than their peers who didn't take a class to be financially responsible.” 

The study revealed that, “students who took a class did better on the survey’s financial knowledge questions, were found to be more averse to debt, more likely to pay credit card bills on time, and less likely to go over their credit limit.”

If you have been asked to incorporate financial literacy into your curriculum, and are at a loss of where to start, try these FREE introductory lessons with your students.




PERSONAL FINANCE LESSONS DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR TEENS!

Also - Find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/financeunleash

Link to my store: Personal Finance for Teens Unleashed


Sunday, February 15, 2015

Answers to College Questions

Answers to College Questions
Need help comparing colleges to find the right fit?
Check out the U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center. Search for and compare colleges on all sorts of criteria including costs, majors offered, size of school, campus safety, and graduation rates.  This site also includes a price calculator to help you estimate how much college will cost after scholarships and grants.
Another helpful site is The College Board. Their interactive, on-line guide offers step-by-step help researching colleges.
Wondering how much your dream college will cost?
Find out at CNNMoney.  Enter a school name and begin your research.
Need a little help filling out that college application?

Review this info-graph from College Choice that covers the dos and don’ts of filling out college applications.
Looking for financial aid and scholarships?
Visit College Choice.  They provide information on the top 50 college scholarships including the Gates Millennium scholarship which pays full tuition and room and board.

The College Board also provides information on scholarships, financial aid and internships from more than 2,200 programs, totaling nearly $6 billion.

 

If you need help filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) visit Federal Student Aid for some helpful tips.


College-bound and looking for budgeting apps that help you manage your money?

In this article at ParentsCountdown to College Coach, Suzanne Shaffer reviews 10 budgeting apps that help college-bound students manage their money. 

Is all that college debt really worth it?

Worried about college debt?  Read this article from College Choice that reviews the advantages of a college education.

Visit me on Twitter for more interesting articles - @financeunleash

And at my TPT store for personal finance lessons designed especially for teens.




Friday, January 9, 2015

Tips on Buying and Financing a Car


Tips on Buying and Financing a Car


Rob Infantino (Credit.com) has some great tips for anyone looking to buy a new car in his article, 8 Things You Need to Know Before Buying a New Car.

Some of his key points include: Doing your homework can save you money; there is wiggle room built into every vehicles’ price; buying a car should never be an impulse buy and don’t wait until you are desperate to start shopping for a car. Read more...

The Federal Trade Commission – Consumer Information site also offers some great information on buying a new car.

Some of their key tips include: Do your research to avoid being pressured into making a hasty decision; financing your car with the dealer may not be the best deal you can get; discuss the possibility of a trade-in only after you’ve negotiated the best possible price for your new car and after you’ve researched the value of your old car and know the vocabulary when negotiating the cost of a car. Read more...

Follow my BLOG and visit me on TWITTER for more interesting articles.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THIS NO PREP LESSON ON BUYING AND FINANCING A CAR...




Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Micro Investing - A Question for Teens





 Here is an interesting micro investing concept that you might like to discuss with your students, it is called ACORNS.
Acorns co-founders Walter and Jeff Cruttenden have created a smart phone app which allows people to round up purchases and automatically invest spare change into a diversified portfolio. This app might change the way many of us invest.
A question for students to discuss might be: In light of all the stores that have been hacked into recently, how safe is this app? And would they consider using it as a way to invest – what are the pros and what are the cons?
Click on the links below for videos and news stories on ACORNS...

Spare Change Drive you Nuts? Trythe “Acorn”App
Source: Trish Regan and Matt Miller (Bloomberg Television’s “Street Smart”)

Turn Spare Change into Big Bucks
Source: Hadley Malcolm (USA Today Young Money)


 
Thanks for stopping by!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Personal-Finance-For-Teens-Unleashed

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Investing Terms

 

 
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Personal-Finance-for-Teens-Unleashed-Investing-Terms-628831This Investing Terms lesson is part of a dynamite unit on Investing. The complete unit is a great hands-on way to teach students the ins and outs of researching, selecting, and tracking stock and mutual funds. The unit is loaded with fun, hands-on assignments, informative presentations, crosswords, and on-line flashcards, games and quizzes. And it all begins with and builds from the Investing Terms assignment.
The Investing Terms lesson is a three-part lesson that covers basic investing terms used on the New York Stock Exchange, and is designed to aid students in analyzing stock summaries, charts and graphs in later assignments.  It is packed full of reinforcing activities, like crosswords, on-line flashcards, games and quizzes.

The basic terms introduced in the Investing Terms assignment lay the foundation for what is to come as the unit progresses.

Companion assignments to review, reinforce and assess include ...

 
These 60 task cards are a fun way to reinforce the terms that were introduced to students in the Investing Terms assignment. Questions include multiple choice, short answer and true and false. The cards can be used individually, in small groups or as a whole class challenge type of game. Eleven wildcards are included to Rev Up the excitement!
This test is a companion to the Investing Terms assignment. The 59-question test is a good mix of matching, multiple choice and true/false questions.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Personal-Finance-for-Teens-Unleashed-Investing-Terms-Task-Cards-1157670http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Personal-Finance-for-Teens-Unleashed-Investing-Terms-Test-1150984

Monday, April 7, 2014

2 Great Personal Finance Lessons

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Personal-Finance-For-Teens-Unleashed


If you are teaching personal finance and need a starting point I hope you had the chance to download my popular Wonderful Life assignment. It has been downloaded over 2000 times at Teachers Pay Teachers and is a great way to get students thinking about their personal goals and their future. Click here to read more...


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Personal-Finance-for-Teens-Unleashed-Personal-Finance-Conversation-Starters-574084


Personal Finance Conversation Starters for Teens
is another popular lesson with students.  

These 275 conversation starters will keep your students engaged all year long!

The conversation starters are a fun way to get kids talking about the money issues that we all face in our daily lives.  There are really no right or wrong answers and you never know where the conversation will lead.  That makes it all the more fun. In answering these questions students bring their unique perspective and life experiences to the table and learn from each other.
Just imagine them discussing topics like...

”Some adults have a lot of trouble saving money.  If you were asked to give them advice about saving what would you say?”
Or

“What is your worst fear about money?”
The conversation starters were written with 8th – 12th grade students in mind.  They can be used for small group or whole class discussion.  They can also be assigned as a short journal writing assignment.  

The 274 conversation starters are designed as 3 ¾ x 3 ¼ cards that can be laminated and used throughout the school year.  It is great fun to let students choose a card at random, never knowing what the question will be in advance.
The topics covered include: saving, spending, investing, goals, career choices, college, starting a business, charities, retirement, wills, job loss, the cost of health care and even bankruptcy and a ton more!
Thanks for stopping by!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Personal-Finance-For-Teens-Unleashed

Monday, September 16, 2013

Wonderful Life Presentations


Wonderful Life Presentations - Setting Personal and Financial Goals!


If you and your students have been working on my "Wonderful Life" assignment right about now you are probably putting the finishing touches on the assignment.

A few things I like to do before presentations include...

I ask my students to edit and practice their presentations so they go smoothly.

I give them the option of self-editing or editing with a friend.

Right before presentations I talk about how hard it can be to get up in front of a class and present - just because we don't do it a lot.

I remind them to support each other, and we talk about how they can do that.

I ask students to print 2 copies of presentation handouts - 4 slides on a page.
As each student goes before the class to present they give me a copy of their handouts and keep a copy for themselves.  I use my copy for grading purposes, and they use their handouts as they give their presentation.

I also mention how important it is to speak loudly and clearly so everyone can hear their presentation, and how eye contact helps to hold the audience's attention.

I ask a student from my class, usually the day before presentations, to run the computer that is hooked up to the presentation hardware and software.

I usually project the presentation on the wall behind the student that is presenting. They use their handout notes to set the pace, and the student running the presentation on the computer follows their lead.

Presentations for a class of 32 usually take about three or four days. The first day is usually the slowest, and then the kids pick up speed.

That's about it. Hope you have a great week!